Papers belonging to pioneer of modern photojournalism, Simon Guttman, available to view for first time

The professional correspondence of exiled photojournalist Simon Guttmann, as held at Senate House Library, have been catalogued and are available to view for researchers for the first time.  

Mr Guttmann, a German refugee who left Germany in 1933, arrived in the UK in 1943, via France and Spain. In 1946 he founded the photo agency 'Report' which provided images to illustrated magazines, the alternative press, as well as left-wing political organisations and movements for social justice.  

His correspondence with editors and publishers provides valuable insights into the developing field of photojournalism after the Second World War and before the advent of digital photography.   

During over forty years he worked and trained with many photographers. Mr Guttmann’s entire life's work in the UK was devoted to building a photographic resource that would detail ‘social changes in British Society’, the historical value, he maintained, would only become evident after a period of over half a century.  

[Above: Strike protest at closure of Bethnal Green Hospital, London, 1978. Image courtesy of NLA/reportdigital.co.uk]

In 2020 the papers were donated by Helen Warby, who had become Guttmann’s assistant in 1963. Following Guttmann’s death in 1990 Warby ensured that ‘Report’ was able to continue its work. Today the agency still provides images to the press via its website and online archive, Report Digital.  

The Simon Guttmann papers also reveal details of his life before the Second World War, and his connections with writers and artists associated with the Expressionist Art movement in Weimar Germany. In 1928 he founded a photo agency and worked with famous photographers such as Umbo, Kurt Hutton, and Felix H. Man.  

[Above: Labour Weekly editor Don Ross and Simon Guttmann in discussion at Oxford Street offices. Behind them is photojournalist Lanre Fehintola. Image courtesy of Stefano Cagnoni/reportdigital.co.uk] 

Kat Hubschmann, archivist at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, who catalogued the papers, spoke of why Simon Guttmann’s story and work deserves recognition:  

“In his early life and career, Guttmann was involved with pre-1914 German Expressionism, the German revolutionary period of 1918/19, and the development of photojournalism in interwar Germany.  

“Guttmann brought all his knowledge and skills to the United Kingdom where he shaped photojournalism in the post-war decades. Guttmann was very reticent about having his name in print, so his influence in photojournalism and his role in training photographers has not yet been properly acknowledge within the history of the practice.”  

Speaking of interesting and surprising details in the archival project, Ms Hubschmann spoke of Guttmann’s connections to the artistic and literary world:  

“Guttmann knew many fellow exiles, but he also maintained friendships and collaborated with a wide and diverse number of photographers, political and cultural figures.  

“For example, the papers contain some correspondence with black rights activist Gideon Dolo, a letter from the poet Dylan Thomas, and a poster for the first Wet Dream festival, organised by Jim Haynes. 

[Above: Correspondence from Henry Fieldhouse, then-editor of Tatler in 1960. As the letter shows, Simon Guttmann had exacting standards and, while not always easy to work with, was highly respected for his eye for memorable images.] 

“The correspondence with myriad editors and photographers also gives an insight into the challenges of publishing photographs before the advent of digital cameras. Often there was only one negative and few prints, which had to be entrusted to the post or delivered in person across London in time for newspaper deadlines.” 

Speaking of the challenges of cataloguing the papers, Ms Hubschmann said:  

“Some of the material was a bit sooty, and cleaning the material as I was cataloguing it slowed down the process. There had been a small fire in Guttmann’s flat at the end of the 1980s. It was a miracle that no one was hurt as the flat, which was also his office, was full of newspapers and magazines.” 

Alongside Stefan Lorant Ms Hubschmann considers Guttmann the ‘bridge’ between German interwar and English post-war photojournalism, explaining that:  

“German photojournalism had undergone a rapid process of professionalization during the Weimar Republic, and photojournalists fleeing Nazi Germany had a major impact on photojournalism in their host countries, as illustrated by the contribution of émigré photographers and editors to the successes of ‘Picture Post’ in Great Britain and ‘Life’ in the USA. 

“Photojournalists and photographers had very strong networks which helped them establish themselves in exile and continued into the post-war world. Guttmann, alongside Stefan Lorant who founded the Picture Post, was one of the key figures in photojournalism in the UK.  

“He spent four decades instructing several generations of photojournalists through his work at Report. Working with exile, English-born, and later some African photographers, Guttmann was a bridge between German interwar and English post-war photojournalism, where the starting point was not text but photos.” 

Guttmann’s legacy in the world of photojournalism continues to this day. An exhibition into the photography of protest, as curated by Turner Prize-winning director Steve McQueen, features the work of eight photographers who have collaborated with and for Guttmann’s agency, Report.  

The full archive is available to view for researchers on request.